Show THE WEDDING MARCH 1131 2938 by ll 11 the th ala bobbt bobb marrill co by MONTE BARRETT CHAPTER XIII continued 20 there Is another very vital clue which we must not overlook that Is the revolver unless we believe that franklin thought his life was in grave danger it Is ridiculous to suppose that he be carried a revolver to his own wedding I 1 prefer to think that he had no warning of his danger in the first place it if he be had he would never have permitted his assailant to approach him near enough to stab him without ith flying firing ile he was stabbed from in front remember not from behind again let me remind you that royce was only a few feet away amay in the next room no if 11 franklin had been armed it would have been because ile he suspected danger and in that event he would have used his weapon when the murderer entered the room I 1 am convinced that the revolver was carried to the church not by franklin but by the murderer himself who mho intended by slaving the roan man with his own onn gun thus to escape detection you will argue of course that he used the knife instead I 1 believe that was an afterthought suggested when he saw the knife hanging on the wall as he entered the room it suggested a silence and greater time for escape that he be could not hope for it if he used the gun another point which puzzled me was why the revolver should have been discarded in the shrubbery of the rarden garden of course the murderer had already taken the precaution to leave franklins own fingerprint upon it but nevertheless this revolver has been a significant clue in the case and marks an apparent mistake on the part of the man we seek my only explanation for this action Is that the murderer joined the throng in front of the church after the crime seeking heching safety in the crowd rather than in flight I 1 think it probable that he even entered the church that la Is quite likely as I 1 arn am sure ills his acquaintance with franklin was such that he be had been invited that being true lie could not afford to have the murdered mans revolver in his possession that explains this point but it does not explain how and when he obtained that eliat revolver that declared peter with slow emphasis Is the most significant ant point of all fletcher claims franklin never kept a gun at the apartment the man Is telling the exact truth or else he Is protecting the murderer and yet we me can find no motive that would cause fletcher to pursue such a course I 1 think the fellow might protect the identity of a woman who had been indiscreet I 1 dont think he would protect the murderer we have proof of it in fact had he been in league with frank franklins ilas slayer it would not have been necessary to search the apartment as was done fletcher could have accomplished such a search without any difficulty and without our knowledge that means that FraD franklin kIln kept the weapon elsewhere where at the apartment he kept for choo choo train in another possible apartment kept for the woman in blue at his office sergeant cardigan spoke with evident conviction this evidence led me ultimately to two clues to which I 1 did not at first attach sufficient importance and those two clues I 1 believe will prove not only the identity but the guilt of the murderer they are the tha revolver and the key hey ring we found in the murdered mans pocket CHAPTER XIV introducing the murderer HAVE identified six of these seven keys peter continued indicating the ring which kilday was holding in his hand one opens the street door of franklins apartment building a second opens his apartment adoth tt tr fits choo choo trains door the fourth opens the door of his general offices office 9 an end ot of the large leys heys of the smaller ones the first opened his desk and the last one still remains unidentified call milo dunbar will you rout I 1 believe he be can help us trace this key we should have done it before and unless im clear off the track well know knew who the murderer Is when we succeed in doing that franklins partner was located at his bis office and promised to come at tince once ask him to bring the key to franklins private compartment of the sate safe peter interrupted to suggest well want that too 1 I think he continued after all day had bad replaced the receiver that we can definitely abandon the idea that at Frat Aklin maintained a separate apartment for this woman in blue it if he had done so EO why the aey ey appear on this ring all his other keys are here there have teen times I 1 have been tempted to shandon this woman as a one cine tor for this very reason and yet site she was the motive for the crime in im sure no other solution fits the facts and since I 1 have arrived at that solution I 1 can see a very good rea ton son why franklin had bad no key to her apartment was it the shipley girl kilday demanded irn im sure it she replied peter in their effort to protect others whom they feared were guilty a number of people have deceived us that has added to our complications and why you have suspected this girl at this point the attorney arrived peter cardigan was still contemplating the slain mans key ring when he entered did you bring the key here dunbar handed it to the novelist who compared it carefully with the small unidentified key on the lie ring his examination completed he reached for the nurses pad on the table beside him and scrawled a few hurried notes upon it how does docs this key fit into the casel case kilday could no longer restrain his curiosity im not sure peter directed a significant glance at his friend here he handed him the notes he had just written with that much to go on perhaps you can make brylle carmody talk but I 1 thought you said never mind what I 1 said before peter replied earnestly 1 I may have hare changed my mind look over these notes and follow instructions kilday shrugged and left the room then you think it was rilie carmody after all suggested dunbar 1 I must confess I 1 dont understand how that key hey had anything to do with mith him well soon know peter replied shortly the attorney walked to the window his lits back to peter and hummed a few bars of a tune 1 I suppose the theory Is that young carmody committed the murder to prevent franklins marriage to his sister I 1 no no longer the theory we now believe that the murderer killed franklin because he discovered the batters lat love affair with the woman in blue 1 I gather that you have come to the conclusion that jealousy was the motive for the crime yes tes either jealousy or re 1 in his relationship with this woman franklin betrayed a trusted friend and that friend committed the murder it if my theory works out and it must work outs out mr dunbar continued peter with conviction its the only theory that fits all the facts im interested dunbar took a chair beside the bed rd id like to hear the whole story cant you take me into your confidence when KIlday comes back promised the novelist lie ile wont be long may I 1 see those keys the attorney extended his palm im curious to know what they had to do with mith it why did you ask me to bring the key to franklins compartment part ment of the safe what does young carmody have to do with that key the keys cardigan stared about him blankly they were here a moment ago I 1 must have dropped them yes yea declared dunbar evenly you must have dropped them into Kil KIlda days yB hand youre lying to me cardigan why did sou give those keys to allday why did you write him that note what did you have to say that you want me to hear bear peter smiled into the angry mans eyes ills his hand band sliding stealthily al most imperceptibly toward the bell cord on the table beside his bed 1 I belleve believe I 1 mentioned kylle carmody he was sparring f time only to throw me off tie tae track retorted dunbar kilday know what you were talking about when you mentioned him then for the first time noticing cardigans Card igans cautious reach for the bell he forestalled it with a deft jerk of hit his elbow that sent the final small table careening and knocked the bell cord to the floor then illen I 1 was right he said shortly you TOU win again declared the novelist novell ht his alert glance intently studying the attorneys expression sly luck was just as bad the other night at your office before replying dun dunbar bar locked the door 1 I suspected you had guessed when you wrote that note to kil all day the lawyer admitted calmly how did you do it ills his eyes slightly bloodshot returned the novelists steady gaze you left a very plain trail declared the latter onee once it was discovered we miss thel the only difficulty was that there were so many trails partly due to your efforts that yours liaa ans jascur obscured jl I 1 we e know franklin was killed by some one he knew intimately otherwise he would have warned royce who was only a few ft feet away the murderer carried franklins own revolver the murderer called choo choo train and imitated fletchers fletcherr Flet chers voice in telling her to go to the church the murderer could not have been in the church proper at the time the crime was committed but he had to be on the ground the woman in blue must have been the motive tIve because the guilty person took such active steps to remove all clues to her identity and in conclusion franklins apartment was searched not once but twice and I 1 was attacked in your office only one person answers all these descriptions mr dunbar that Is you royce looked for you at the church but find you out in front for the very simple reason that you there franklin kept that revolver at ills his office after searching elsewhere there was no other conclusion we could reach you were the only person who had access to it there you were in great haste to search your e v poison partners apartment immediately after his death you told fletcher you were looking for a will but you and I 1 know you were there to destroy any evidence which might identify the woman in blue as your wife before the police Ted you find it then and were anxious for another opportunity to conduct the search when fletcher I 1 present at the first opportunity exactly what you did and when I 1 picked up your trail although even then I 1 realize who my quarry was you used a key you found in your cifes possession to enter that apartment remember too that my assa assailant llant must have had a key to enter your office the trall trail was plain from the first and you are the only one who fits the description in every detail dunbar head on one side lips pursed judiciously had the manner of a judge weighing evidence all very plausible he nodded his head but still only theory here Is some more of it retorted the novelist the night before the wedding your suspicions of your wife and franklin aroused you broke into his compartment of the safe there you yon found evidence which supported those suspicions and the revolver too that li he admitted Is a still only a guess but ill know whether or not its a true one in a few minutes an expression of annoyance flit tel ted across the attorneys countenance te nance guesses he said guesses youre always talking ol of gues guesses Ku esses what made you make such a guess in the first place aou ou were the only person every possibility lity of the crime in the second there we were re franklins keys I 1 understand why mily all his keys were intact upon ills his ring except the key to his compartment of the safe it seemed strange that he should have kept that of all keys lying carelessly in his desk where you found it for us then we the solution occurred to me and I 1 compared that key we found there with alth the one me n had bad been unable to identify upon the key ring remembering mem bering how similar they were in size and appearance kemem her ber I 1 had tried to use that unidentified key to open that compartment I 1 was able to insert it in the lock but it turn the bolt do you know why they were both keys to that safe when I 1 compared them a few minutes ago age I 1 disco discovered ered they both bore jilie same manufacturers serial nu number luber one of those keys belonged to you mr dudgar Di inbar the oil oilier er was franklins peter stared fit at the attorney ex with that much to go on I 1 felt confident that I 1 knew k T ev how we h had ad been duped we were puzzled because we find any clue to the woman in blue among franklins personal effects this was mas now explained you had removed those clues when you searched franklins apartment the evening before to verify your suspicions regarding him and your wife afterward it occurred to you that this broken drawer might incriminate you it if we discovered it IL so you transferred the remainder of his effects to your own drawer leaving your key in franklins desk the broken drawer you appropriated for your own use and that declared peter with finality Is what I 1 wrote kilday a few minutes ago lie he Is on his way to your office to check up on those two drawers in your safe unless I 1 am mistaken he will discover that the key on franklins ring fits the broken compartment which you ten are now using simple when you think about it it you make it sound simple the attorney replied the only thing that puzzled me Is why you returned to your office that night peter continued you had already destroyed the evidence la in franklins compartment 1 I was afraid there might be some evidence elsewhere that I 1 had overlooked and I 1 expecting you to hunt the murderer there the attorney was mas making no effort to maintain a pretense of innocence 1 I very well go through the place in the daytime without exciting comment from the employees I 1 felt perfectly safe la in making the search at night however until he shrugged you appeared on the scene none of my employees had an excuse to be there at that hour and I 1 knew that the janitors force did not come on duty until ten so naturally I 1 was alarmed when I 1 heard your key in the lock I 1 realize or have time to consider that you might be coming there to trap some one else I 1 lost my head I 1 guess at any rate I 1 determined not to be trapped there so I 1 turned out the lights and waited for you in the dark you know what happened peter glanced at the locked door the idea he asked you cant hope to escape by this time alma kilday has verified the manner in which you switched boxes with franklin 1 oh yes theres always one method of escape but dont be alarmed that was only a precaution against interruption from his pocket he took a small vial removing the cork he smelled of the contents then he smiled poison he explained ive been carrying it about with me for several days even before I 1 killed franklin I 1 made up my mind that I 1 would never be taken alive dunbar raised the bottle gravely before I 1 go he said bald 1 I want to say ym im sorry you went through the window I 1 had nothing against you I 1 only wanted to get out of there undetected the momentary delay gave peter tha opportunity tor for which he be waited with all his strength he hurled hla his pillow at the bottle poised in dunmars Dun bars hand hoping to knock it from his bis grasp his aim was true but the bottle did not fall the fingers which clutched it were too sure of their grip there was reproach in the after glance after making this the only escape possible he asked would you rob me of it he raised the bottle slowly 1 I dont doat blame you for anything but that pillow he declared gravely youre quite a detective cardigan I 1 should be an authority on the subject milo dunbar took hla his only means of escape TUB TIN END |